Systems and methods for identifying and collecting banned waste

Abstract

Systems and methods for authorizing a waste item to be removed from a site are disclosed. In one embodiment, a waste collection vehicle includes a reader configured to obtain identification information from an identification tag associated with the waste item. A transceiver associated with the vehicle is configured to: receive the identification information from the reader, wirelessly transmit the identification information to a remote computer for processing, and wirelessly receive an indication of whether the waste item should be collected and removed by the waste collection. The received indication is based on at least one hazardous characteristic associated with the identified waste item, a determination that the waste collection vehicle is authorized to collect the waste item having the at least one hazardous characteristic, and a determination that a driver of the waste collection vehicle is authorized to collect the waste item having the at least one hazardous characteristic.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is related to the following copending and commonly assigned patent applications, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: “Systems and Methods for Identifying Banned Waste in a Municipal Solid Waste Environment,” having application Ser. No. 11 / 433,505, filed on May 15, 2006; “Systems for and Methods of Asset Management In a Waste Management Service Environment,” having application Ser. No. 11 / 435,688, filed on May 18, 2006; and “Systems and Methods for Using Billing Information to Dynamically Route Vehicles,” having application Ser. No. ______ and attorney docket 105452-312, filed on Sep. 6, 2006.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]Embodiments of the present invention relate primarily to the field of waste management and, more particularly, to systems and methods for identifying and collecting hazardous and / or special waste items.[0004]2. Background Description[0005]Waste management companies...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods that can be used to ensure that proper procedures are followed throughout the removal and disposal of banned waste, to prevent banned waste from entering the MSW stream, and to prevent regulatory violations. Various embodiments of the present invention use RFID technology and positioning technology to identify a customer site and the waste items at the customer site, in order to determine an appropriate action to be performed. In addition, in order to ensure that banned waste items are properly collected, various embodiments of the present invention can verify that qualified personnel and proper collection equipment are in place, and / or verify that there is a disposal destination available for waste disposal.

Problems solved by technology

As used herein, hazardous waste is a waste with properties that make it dangerous or potentially harmful to human health or the environment.

If such a waste carrier picks up these banned waste items, either knowingly or unwittingly, the waste carrier may be violating of one or more operating permits and is subject to various penalties, such as monetary fines and / or suspension of one or more permits.

Conventional processes for tracking the collection of banned waste at various customer sites are largely manually intensive and paper-based, requiring various personnel to handle and process the paper records.

Such manual processes are cumbersome and prone to human error.

For example, personnel not properly trained and / or licensed to handle or remove a particular type of waste may inadvertently handle or remove such waste.

The lack of cross-checking and immediate feedback in conventional systems may result in unauthorized personnel removing such waste, thereby creating health and / or safety risks to themselves and others.

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